Fakhrul to handle PMO parliamentary affairs in PM’s, Salahuddin to take on defence

The government has issued a gazette notification specifying who will perform parliamentary duties for ministries or divisions in the 13th parliament if the responsible minister is absent.

According to the notification, if Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is absent, Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will handle parliamentary affairs related to the Prime Minister’s Office. Meanwhile, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed will take charge of the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Division and the Armed Forces Division in parliament, bdnews24.com reports. 

The Cabinet Division issued the notification on Tuesday, stating that until further orders, the functions of ministries and divisions in the 13th parliament will be carried out as per the list made by the government. This means that during question-answer sessions, motions, bills or other parliamentary activities, if the designated minister is absent, the responsibility will be carried out by an assigned alternative minister or a state minister.

The notification separately assigns alternates for offices under the prime minister.

Currently, Fakhrul serves as minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives, while Salahuddin holds the portfolio of home affairs.

It further states that if Fakhrul is absent, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam will perform parliamentary duties for the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

Similarly, if the designated minister for the offices of the president, the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat and the Election Commission Secretariat are absent, those parliamentary duties will be carried out by Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman.

Separate arrangements have also been made for the finance and planning ministries. In the current government, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury is in charge of these ministries. The gazette says that if he is absent, the designated alternative will take over, and in special circumstances, the home minister may also handle parliamentary questions and related matters for those ministries.

The notification includes a special provision stating that if both the designated and alternate ministers are absent, Khosru —and in his absence, Salahuddin —will perform parliamentary duties, including answering questions and handling other proceedings as an additional responsibility.

The first session of the 13th parliament began on Mar 12, when Hafiz Uddin Ahmad was elected speaker and Kayser Kamal deputy speaker. Members of the Presidium were also nominated to preside over sessions in their absence.

Within days of the new parliament sessions kicking off, the government has now finalised alternate parliamentary responsibilities of ministers through this gazette.

According to the parliamentary system of Bangladesh, when a minister is absent due to foreign travel, illness or other reasons, alternate responsibilities are assigned to ensure continuity in parliamentary proceedings. Tuesday’s notification consolidates that system, bringing administrative clarity on who will speak on behalf of whom, answer questions for which ministry, and take over responsibilities in case of absence of the designated ministers.